Youth & Young Adults

WCS Education is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders and STEM professionals by providing young people with meaningful career pathways. Our work with youth is central to this mission. Each year, over 1,800 young adults, ages 14 to 24, gain valuable experience through enrichment programs, volunteer opportunities, internships, and employment across our five parks. With the majority of these opportunities at the Bronx Zoo, WCS is proud to be the largest employer of young adults in the Bronx.

The WCS Career Lattice is an integrated career pathway program designed to equip young people with the skills, experience, and professional networks needed to succeed in conservation and STEM fields. Through this program, we:

Connect local youth with career opportunities through strategic outreach and partnerships;
Develop their knowledge and skills through hands-on work experiences, professional development, and mentorship;
Advance their careers through leadership training and tiered professional opportunities.

By providing young people with access to real-world experiences and professional growth, WCS empowers the next generation to build meaningful careers, expand their networks, and contribute to conservation efforts that benefit both people and wildlife.

How Can You Get Involved?

Volunteering

We train more than 500 youth volunteers annually on conservation education and science communication. Youth facilitate free, educational, advocacy-related activities with zoo and aquarium visitors and earn over 100 hours of community service.

Internships

We offer more than 30 different internship opportunities across our 5 NYC parks. These learning opportunities are gateways to STEM and conservation careers.

Jobs

Each year, over 900 youth launch their careers at WCS, gaining experience in diverse career areas from Business Services to Education to Special Animal Exhibits and more.

Support & Benefits

WCS Youth JIVE

The WCS Youth Job, Internship, and Volunteering Expo is an interactive annual opportunity for youth to learn about positions at WCS’s NYC parks, connect with hiring managers from a variety of departments, and attend employment workshops. Students from partner high schools, colleges, and our local communities are encouraged to attend. JIVE takes place in early February.

The STEP Series

WCS youth volunteers, interns, and part-time employees have opportunities for focused training and career exploration through a robust suite of skill-building workshops and a career talk series with professionals in diverse roles.

Youth Opportunities Newsletter

We maintain our relationship with youth that have volunteered, interned or worked for WCS via a monthly digital newsletter that is emailed to over 3,000 recipients. This newsletter highlights local events for youth, as well as employment opportunities at WCS and like-minded organizations in New York City.

Sci Network NYC

SCI Network NYC brings together 8 of New York City's science-based cultural institutions in 12 different locations to connect youth with more than 60 high quality internship opportunities.

Impact

Mentoring

WCS has spent years supporting youth who are serving in mentorship roles. This “Mentoring Training Toolkit” focuses on five key areas of mentoring and includes several easy-to-implement activities, linked resources, templates, and suggestions for adapting activities to a digital platform.

Elevating Youth Voice through Idea Generation

This is a practitioner’s guide for cultural institutions interested in eliciting meaningful feedback from the next generation of employees, while simultaneously contributing to their professional growth.

Research & Evaluation

We conduct ongoing research on strategies to increase STEM and conservation engagement for youth and share our impact.

Read the interim career lattice report

The WCS Career Lattice is generously supported by the New York City Council, New York City Speaker, Charina Endowment Fund, Inc., Gray Foundation, The Pinkerton Foundation, Con Edison, RBC Foundation USA, Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, Judy and Jamie Dimon, Julia Dimon and Joseph Romeo, Gail and Michael O’Neill, and numerous other foundation, corporate, and individual funders.